Dear Ranjana, Niloufer and others those interested let us meet. i am also in touch with dalit mukti morcha in chattisgarh, which thinks along similar lines. do you mind if we include them In deep anguish about the state of affairs. ranjani Thu, 9/6/11, Ranjana <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Ranjana <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [humanrights-movement:4433] suppression of dissent To: [email protected], "ranjani k.murthy" <[email protected]>, "Pushkar Raj" <[email protected]>, "Pushkar" <[email protected]>, "pucl nat" <[email protected]> Date: Thursday, 9 June, 2011, 8:20 AM I agree so much with most of what you write. It is a truth suppressed like the Emperor's New Clothes that everyone knows and does not utter it. The pauperization of the majority is directly related to the prosperity brought to the middle class and above. Going by your last line, I agree the struggle for dissent has to go hand in hand. We need to as a priority intensify our pressure to the ban on PUCL Chhattisgarh. Waiting to hear from them or PUCL Delhi. Can we think of a joint action in Raipur. Go beyond email endorsements. The silencing of cilvil liberties organizations portends worse to come. Many organizations are waiting to hear from PUCL. In solidarity, Ranjana --- On Wed, 8/6/11, Niloufer Bhagwat <[email protected]> wrote: From: Niloufer Bhagwat <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [humanrights-movement:4433] suppression of dissent To: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, 8 June, 2011, 13:37 With reference to some relevant issues raised by Ranjani k.Murthy, it is necessary to clarify that the so called hunger fasts and committees for drafting the Lokpal Bill are a desperate attempt by major political formationswhich are corporate funded and by some civil society movements to roll back increasing mass discontent and dissent in India which has flared up in several regions and is doused out before it spreads, by the usual culprits who receive corporate contributions from India and abroad to accommodate and rechannelise thedissent before it gathers mass and is energized adequately to call for substantial systemic changes directly related to how the national budget and revenues are allocated , how much for those who work and how much for others . Those at the receiving end of the present dispensation in terms of subsistence and civilizational levels, being below accepted norms even of consumption of food grains and nutrition, apart from the limited or no access to education , health , transport , housing etc, as rightly referred to by Ranjani K.Murthy ,are the majority of the population , in which large percentages are from tribal, dalit and minority populations. With the entire Neoliberal paradigm of the world wide system of production and distribution breaking down and wide spread protests , the direct consequence of the increasing awareness that this system does not work , political/economic alternatives will have to be explored and blue prints prepared by those who see themselves as a part of the solution and not part of the problem . Violence on protests have to be deplored ,while being careful never to give respectability to protests or movements from the extreme right wing and fascist groups with whom there can never be any understanding /alliance /adjustment as they stand for an obfuscation of democracy, whereas we stand for the widest extension of democratic participation to include those hitherto left out of the pale of participation in policy making at all levels . This is where the Laxman Rekha has to be drawn , no alliance with fascist groups . What is also a matter for concern is that some political trends and tendencies still in immaturity due to the limited nature of the support they receive ,as they have not reached out adequately to the people of India as a whole , are being perceived as anti science, development , technology and as a consequence as anti -progress . This misinformation or dis- information is a liability for any movement /party which seeks to obtain the widest support of people in diverse regions and economic activity as no serious formation can confine itself to marginalized sections without seeking support from all those who are politically out of the pale of decision making even if they have a vote as elections are based on campaign finance . It must be categorically debated,discussed and disseminated that essential infrastructure in rural and urban India is vital and necessary in housing , water bodies transport, education , health and nutrition, energy , animal husbandry and for livelihood all of which have been severely neglected ; the issue really is for whom is the hitherto infrastructure being created and that the nature of this infrastructure must not impact peoples lives for the worse, involve mass uprootment and devastate their livelihood and the habitat to which they have hitherto accessed for their day to day needs .Some compromises will have to be made however in every case it must envisage a forward movement for those hitherto outside the pale of development and transform their lives for the better whereas the existing political system has been throwing them by the way side . Many years ago I was an eye witness to the pathetic plight of those who had been displaced to construct the Koyna dam . People in villages near the river were flung in to far off areas where there was no immediate access to water, even as the energy needs of some were being met .The argument that some will pay for the price of development of others is unacceptable .There has to be equitable development and the economically and socially weaker the citizen the greater her/his right to the support of policies of the State/government those who are already privileged do not need the protection of the State/government . We need better political formations and movements of great integrity ,who will continuously and constantly educated themselves on the immediate needs of diverse people and the issue of their mobilization at the same time who will keep abreast of scientific , economic , financial and political developments all over the world , as what is required is nothing short of a new civilization pattern which is ecologically sustainable for the planet based on harmonious relations inter se between different societies assisting and co-operating . We need modernity of approach and the ability to study the diversity of the Indian economic and social situation in the backdrop of developments of the 20th Century , to discard what is fossilized and advance what is sound and best meets the interest of as many people as can be benefited. It is easy to destroy , the real challenge lies in being clear about what one is building or re-building and that can only be with a clear perspective of for whom and why ?????? As of now the priority issue is the right to democratic dissent and protection of civil liberties . Niloufer Bhagwat ----- Original Message ----- From: ranjani k.murthy To: PMI ; [email protected] Cc: humanrights ; feminists ; citizens justice Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2011 7:04 PM Subject: Re: [humanrights-movement:4430] suppression of dissent i think i should ack friends from chattisgarh, thervoyil kandigai, penn urumai iyakkam and Unorgnised workers federation in shaping these thoughts- they bear no resp. for what i write ranjani, --- On Tue, 7/6/11, ranjani k.murthy <[email protected]> wrote: From: ranjani k.murthy <[email protected]> Subject: [humanrights-movement:4428] suppression of dissent To: "PMI" <[email protected]> Cc: "humanrights" <[email protected]>, "feminists" <[email protected]>, "citizens justice" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, 7 June, 2011, 6:44 PM Dear friends: While different people- from Yoga gurus to Anna Hazare go on fast to protest against corruption in India- one needs to ask whether such approaches are good or do they land up suppressing large scale dissent from oppressed groups, with 75% of India living under $2 per day per capita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_poverty). Other reasons for absence of large scale dissent in India include i) Populist schemes of government like free/subsidized distribution of rice, television, grinders, gold etc which do not question the unequal distribution of assets/income, returns to labor, usurpation of natural resources, ii) The inadequate emphasis on labor intensive growth by government and on dry land agriculture growth (MNREGS is palliative and poorly implemented, rarely in manifesto of state specific parties), iii) Initiation of schemes like SGSY without linking them to land redistribution or rights to ponds, forests, tanks, markets. iv) The anti-Dalit sentiment by upper and middle castes, the blindness of society towards poverty, the upholding of patriarchal values, phobia towards people of diverse sexual/gender identities, Muslims*, etc. v) Belief of people in institutionalized religion and that one’s religion is superior to that of the others. vi) Emergence of NGOs under corporate control as well as NGOs which engage in service delivery (which should be done by government). NGOs’ role should ideally be restricted to making state and inter-state organizations accountable or showing replicable models of making oppressed groups take control over livelihoods and assets along value chain and making households, community and markets accountable. vii) The internationalization of good social movements by INGOs by funding them, with leaders being pulled to different countries to speak. Cannot technology be used to speak from here? Viii) Inadequate back up support mechanisms for few non party political formations that have survived this onslaught. It is time to challenge the yoga guru and middle/elite class led development and protest models and ask the oppressed (50% of whom are Dalits and Adivasis in India (bahujannews.blogspot.com/.../zestcaste-my-response-to-ashok.html), majority are unorganized workers- with women amongst them being more marginalized) what they see as Just model (s) of development, governance, spirituality and sustainable living. It is obvious that neither unfettered capitalism nor communism has worked. Instiutionalised religion is divisive. If necessary, one could expose oppressed to different interpretations of Ambedkar, Lohia, Paulo Friere, Andre Gunder Frank, Marx, Che Guevera, Trusteeship of Gandhi, etc, pose a few questions and leave it to them to evolve a model which is non violent. Listening to the songs of 70 year old Naynamma, a dalit from Thervoy Kandigai, Tamil Nadu I feel she could teach us a lot. Dalits, Adivasis and Sufis also follow a lot of non-institutionalized spiritual and sustainable living practices and follow their own governance systems (though not equitable in all aspects of diversity). FURTHER IT IS TIME TO GIVE FELLOWSHIPS TO OPPRESSED GROUPS WHO HAVE LED STRUGGLES OR RESOLVED CONFLICTS TO FORM PREVENTIVE STRUGGLE and CONFLICT RESOLUTION COMMITTEES (WITH LEADERSHIP BY THEM) AND NOT CURATIVE ONES AFTER (INTER) NATIONAL CORPORATE CONTROL, STATE CONTROL AND CONFLICT STARTS. OTHERWISE THERE IS A DANGER THAT SOONER OR LATER SPORADIC PATHS OF VIOLENCE MAY SPREAD FURTHER. AFTER ALL OPPRESSED ARE NOT FOOLS. FURTHER, WITH TECHNOLOGY AND FREE DISTRIBUTION OF TELEVISIONS PEOPLE KNOW PATHS OF PROTEST HAPPENING IN OTHER COUNTRIES. * 31% of Muslims are below poverty line, higher than national average (articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com › Collections › Dalits - Cached). ranjani * Regret that I am in sri lanka for few days, name changed in gazette but not in passport, had to come for a talk on "justice" and learn some home truths from friends about situation here. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
